Document Shredding

The Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program will be sponsoring one secure document shredding event in each supervisory district per calendar year. These events are only open to Fairfax County residents along with residents of the Towns of Vienna, Herndon and Clifton and the Cities of Fairfax and Falls Church. Documents from businesses will not be accepted.

Please Note: Shredding events start at 8 a.m. and conclude at 12 p.m. All cars must be in line by 12 p.m. These are drive-through events and residents will be asked to remain in their vehicles. For everyone’s safety, you will not be able to stand by and watch your paper being shredded.

Magazines, catalogs and newspapers (unless just the page with the address)

Film or photographs

Fairfax County will not shred documents for businesses – even if documents are delivered by an employee who is a county resident. These events are only for residents to destroy sensitive material they have from their home. If you require written certification of document destruction, it is recommended that you contract individually with a shredding service provider.

Procedures for the Event

Please Note: Shredding events start at 8 a.m. and conclude at 12 p.m. All cars must be in line by 12 p.m. These are drive-through events and residents will be asked to remain in their vehicles. For everyone’s safety, you will not be able to stand by and watch your paper being shredded.

County staff remove boxes from cars and trucks and empty paper into rolling carts.

Once full, the carts are taken to the shredding truck where they are emptied into a shredder.

All documents are cross-cut shred on-site, by a private contractor, on the day of the event.

Following the event, all paper is delivered to a local recycling facility for processing.

Written certification of shredding will not be provided.

For additional information, please contact us at 703-324-5230, TTY 711.